Bush tucker morning tea
Local Elder, Uncle Willy, shows how his bowl has many uses, including as part of his musical repertoire.
A number of bush-tucker based items provided suitable fare for a morning tea hosted by Mildura Regional Clinical School in support of the Oxfam Australia ‘Close the Gap’ campaign, which raises awareness of Aboriginal Health issues.
Attendees came from the Aboriginal community, local health organisations and other community groups, together with medical students and Mildura staff to learn about the Close the Gap campaign and the appalling statistics involved in aboriginal health. The Mildura Regional Clinical School collected 32 signatures for the pledge as part of the event.
It proved an entertaining as well as educational event.
Following the Welcome To Country the audience was enthralled by the guest speaker, a local elder known as Uncle Willy. Uncle Willy is a storyteller of the highest order who kept everyone well and truly entertained and fascinated by the tension between traditional and westernised upbringing for Aboriginal children.
He outlined the multiple uses of such various implements. For example, the boomerang is as much a map as it is a weapon!
Then there is what Uncle Willy dubbed the Aboriginal version of a Swiss Army Knife – his wooden bowl. It can be used as a bowl, a baby carrier, a shelter from the rain, a paddle, and to aid the sound production in his didgeridoo playing.
Uncle Willy is an accomplished didgeridoo player and makes his own instruments; sadly there was only a brief opportunity for his music. To conclude the presentations, an Aboriginal children’s dance troupe from a local primary school performed a traditional welcome dance.
Another highlight was provided by local Aboriginal health workers, who contributed bush tucker-based items for the morning tea table. The menu included lemon myrtle cheesecake with quandong jam, wattle seed madeleines, kangaroo pizza and crocodile with wild herbs and rice – although the last items were snapped up so quickly (pun intended) that not everyone had a chance to taste them!
Local dancers and officials gathered with a strong overarching message